A Day and a Half (En dag och en halv) is a Swedish drama thriller and also the directorial debut of actor Fares Fares. The screenplay is co-written with Peter Smirnakos and produced by Christina Legkova and Hanna Lundmark. It has a runtime of about 1 hour and 35 minutes.
The film’s ensemble cast includes Alexej Manvelov as Artan, Alma Pöysti as Louise, Fares Fares as Lukas, Stina Ekblad, Bengt C.W. Carlsson, Johni Tadi, Annica Liljeblad, Linda Hellström, Annika Hallin, Lisa Forslund, Lukas Orwin, Erik Holmström and others.
A Day and a Half Review
The film is said to be inspired by true events where a man visits his ex-wife at the healthcare centre, as she works there. He asks to meet her but the person at the counter makes an excuse and tells him that she is too busy to meet. This ticks off an already agitated man and he whips out a gun to threaten the staff to bring his wife in front of him. Sending the whole centre into chaos, he points the gun to Louise’s head and threatens to kill her when the police get involved and try to stop the man.
In just a few minutes, the dynamics between the ex-couple and what has really brought him to go to this extent are revealed. Apparently, he was waiting for Louise to come to the cafe that she promised but when she didn’t turn up even after an hour, he came looking for her. And unpacked all his previous grudges and his longing to meet his daughter, on the wife, in the spur of the moment.
That’s when Officer Lukas comes into the picture, he tries to tackle the situation with his words and ensure nobody gets hurt. Indulging him into his affair, Artan brings Lukas along on their journey to meet his daughter Cassandra, while he keeps Louise’s life in his hand. Together, the trio go through a day and a half learning, teaching and understanding each other in a way that nobody else could while travelling around the outskirts of Sweden.
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The film unveils each layer of story slowly, as the characters move from one place to another. At first, you think the man is enraged for being separated from his daughter and the couple must have broken up due to jealousy issues etc. But as the plot progresses you start to wonder if Louise is really a victim here or if Artan is the one who has had enough injustice on his plate. Or maybe it’s a bit of both.
Through the aggravated fight between an ex-couple, the story brings up some contemporary issues of the modern world. Like discrimination against the immigrants and branding them in a bad light, which Artan has also faced at the hands of his in-laws. Secondly, the faulty justice system which might give the custody of the child to a mentally unstable mother rather than to the father (prejudice of family courts towards fathers). Lastly, the a lack of sensitivity towards mental illness that makes people completely neglect it until someone harms their own life.
Something that could have been solved or maybe even never happened if only Louise had come to the cafe as promised, instead of standing him out for the second time. The drama thriller does a good job of keeping up the suspense till the end making you wonder what will Artan do next. Although there’s nothing like a dynamic action sequence or something similar, the raging emotions fuel the plot and take us on a thrilling journey with a lingering end.
Rating: 3/5
A Day and a Half is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
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